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New York Democrat Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani brought the Cuomo political dynasty to its knees Tuesday night with his victory in the New York City mayoral primary.
Mamdani, 33, a self-described socialist, would become New York’s first Muslim mayor if elected. He held 43.5% of Democrat votes, compared to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 36.4% with 93% of votes reported Wednesday morning.
Mamdani, who was endorsed by progressive firebrands such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is far from a moderate.
The assemblyman has passed on opportunities to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” has defended Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, and has called for city-run grocery stores and a freeze on rents as ways to address the city’s affordability crisis.
His website proposes budgeting $65 million for “gender-affirming care,” for “both transgender youth and adults.”
Born in Uganda to ethnically Indian parents, Mamdani is a graduate of the prestigious Bronx High School of Science and of Bowdoin College, an elite liberal arts institution in Maine.
“I am Donald Trump’s worst nightmare as a progressive Muslim immigrant who actually fights for the things that I believe in,” Mamdani said in the Democrat mayoral debate.
Mamdani may have benefited from harsh criticisms directed at Cuomo, who struggled to dismiss questions about sexual harassment allegations and his handling of the COVID-19 lockdowns.
Former Democrat Mayor Bill de Blasio, for example, told voters to support any candidate other than Cuomo.
“Do not rank Andrew Cuomo. Leave him off your ballot. There are a number of good and decent candidates. By the way, not one of them has a scandal to their name or any corruption in the background,” said de Blasio.
But despite the narratives surrounding Mamdani’s appeal to low-income and minority voters, Cuomo appears to have done better with these voting blocs than Mamdani.
According to the New York Times Mamdani had a 13-point advantage over Cuomo among higher income voters and a 10-point advantage among middle income voters. Cuomo, meanwhile, had a 13-point edge over Mamdani with lower income voters.
The New York Times also reports that Mamdani held the advantage with every racial group except for black voters, among whom Cuomo won by a whopping 18 points.
Of course, the race is not over. Cuomo said after conceding the race that he was considering a run as an independent.
“I said I wanted to look at the numbers and the ranked-choice voting to decide about what to do in the future, because I’m also on an independent line. And that’s the decision, that’s what I was saying. I want to analyze and talk to some colleagues,” he told The New York Times.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y. (Andres Kudacki/Getty Images)Also in the running is incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat who has not participated in the primary.
Running uncontested as the Republican nominee is Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels, a crime prevention group. Sliwa won 27.76% of the vote in the 2021 mayoral election.
Mamdani’s ascent has been greeted with rancor from Republicans nationwide.
Speaking to the Daily Signal Tuesday before results came in, Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., said, “the idea that New York could elect a Muslim terrorist as its mayor is very disconcerting. A guy who’s barely been a citizen, who’s barely had a job and who clearly stands with Muslim terror. It’s terrifying.”
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., a likely 2026 gubernatorial candidate, is now fundraising in the wake of Mamdani’s victory.
“My stomach is in knots. The idea that a self-avowed socialist and Hamas Terrorist sympathizer like Zohran Mamdani could become the next mayor of New York City truly makes me sick,” she said in an email.
For Mamdani, however, it is the dawn of a new era.
“I will be the mayor for every New Yorker,” he said in his celebration speech. “I will fight for a city that works for you, that is affordable for you, that is safe for you.”
New Yorkers will go to the polls on Nov. 4 to elect their mayor.
The post Mamdani Wins NYC Democrat Primary: What You Need to Know appeared first on The Daily Signal.
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